THE PRACTITIONER'S COMPANION
Tuesday 11 February 2025

What’s the winning recipe for business success?

Three thriving conveyancers reveal the secret sauce behind their success stories. It's all about working hard, focusing on customers and finding your niche.

4 min read

FIONA EASTWOOD, IMPERO CONVEYANCING

Ten years ago, Fiona Eastwood took the plunge into new motherhood and new business ownership when she quit her high-flying legal job after returning from maternity leave.

“The corporate world didn’t align with me at that stage of my life. I felt more comfortable with a new business and a new baby growing together,” says Eastwood, 41, who founded Impero Conveyancing in Wallsend, NSW, and quickly realised her business’s potential.

“I ran solo for a couple of months, but I knew early on that support and ‘team’ would be crucial to ensuring what I started Impero for – to keep the work/life balance.

“Along with keeping up the service my clients deserve, I had an instinct early on I wasn’t going to be a small operation!”

Expanding earlier this year, after acquiring Singleton-based Ariel Conveyancing, Eastwood now has a staff of five, and is proud of the team she has built, who handle 800+ conveyancing matters each year.

“I’ve built a workplace that encourages learning, collaboration, and personal growth,” says Eastwood, a fan of motivational business leaders like Richard Branson. “It’s a space where everyone can contribute, feel heard, and develop personally and professionally.”

Keen to share her experiences and grow a network of conveyancers Australia-wide, Eastwood has devised a Mastermind program (launching in February) created to “support and guide growth-minded conveyancers”.

“It’s designed to help conveyancers scale, systematise, and find that all-important work-life balance,” she says. “I’m excited to create a space where conveyancers can learn from each other and take their businesses to new heights.”

KRISTY BELL, BELL CONVEYANCING 

In 2017 Kristy Bell was a newly single mum of two when she launched her conveyancing business from the spare bedroom of a rental property.

“I took a big leap and started Bell Conveyancing because I needed the flexibility to juggle raising my daughters and to make sure we had a stable future,” says Bell, 41. 

“It wasn’t easy, but the drive to provide for my family kept me going. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Starting out as a sole trader, Bell, who has 23 years industry experience, reached a point where she had to make a choice – either turn down work or employ additional support. 

“Since 2021, we’ve expanded to a team of six, and we’re expecting to handle 600 transactions this year. It’s been an exciting journey of growth. 

“We love working in the Central West of NSW, so expanding our offices in Bathurst and Orange – and maybe even further west – is definitely on the cards. It all comes down to finding the right located licensed conveyancer to join our team, and we’ll be ready to grow again.”

Bell likes to foster a ‘country town vibe’ for her offices where “everyone knows everyone, and it feels like home”. 

“What makes our business strong is our tight-knit team and our constant drive to learn and grow,” she says. “We are all about giving great service, and that’s led to strong word-of-mouth referrals, which we are very grateful for. 

“We are also good at building our personal brand, sharing our wins, and keeping everyone in the loop with what we’re up to. It’s all about teamwork, staying connected, and always improving.”

THEODORA GIANNOTIS, BEH LEGAL

Finding her niche as a bespoke conveyancer has been a huge win for Theodora Giannotis, principal solicitor at BEH Legal.

Three years ago, with more than 20 years’ experience in planning law and property, Giannotis pivoted her business to focus on heritage conveyancing in Sydney’s historic hotspots like the inner-west.

“I realised there was a gap in the market and people are buying heritage sites, but they don’t actually understand what they’re buying and what they can do with it,” she says. 

“I do conveyancing with a planning law background specialising in heritage, so I am bringing a very bespoke service into the conveyancing area. I am probably one of the only people that do it.”

Handling up to 150 files a year, Giannotis, 51, guides her clients through the process of buying a heritage property and, after purchase, continues the service by filing DAs and finding a team that can work within heritage requirements to deliver some “beautiful design”.

Using social platforms, newspaper advertisements, word-of-mouth referrals and glowing Google reviews to onboard clients, she relies on “strong systems” including triConvey and Smokeball to streamline operations.

Currently a solo operator in a “hot market”, Giannotis offers “strong advice and two-hour turnaround contract reviews” and has plans to bring in more staff to help handle her fast-growing business. 

And her advice to other conveyancers looking for an edge is to examine ways to differentiate their operations to stand out from the competition.

“It is all about recognising your own niche,” she says. “It’s good to have a point of difference, so that you can become a specialist in your area.”

Other Magazines